German Culture — Rich And Illustrious

At first glance, the German culture might not sound appealing as well. Along with their Austrian and Swiss counterparts, Germans have endured a reputation as racists and violence lovers, given the Nazi regime during the dirty Third Reich movement and its role in World War II which produced the likes of Bismarck and Hitler.

On the contrary, German culture is rich and illustrious, contributing greatly throughout the history of the world. Its advances in the areas of literature, cinema, music, philosophy, sports, and cuisine in the international scene are well respected. We’ve discovered new modes of thought, challenged our academia, and learned from a tumultuous past to create an already promising present and a better future.

The first notable part of German culture is the contributions it’s made to philosophy. Starting with philosopher Immanuel Kant who believed lying was sin under any circumstance, German philosophy helped shape western philosophy with its idea of communist and social theory as well. Nietzsche, Karl Max, and Frederich Engels are some philosophers who have made an impact.

Another portion of German culture is its cinema. During the Weimar Republic years, German expressionism came to light with the works of Friedrich Murnay and Robert Wiene as well.

Speaking of artistic and cultural endeavors, we can make a comfortable shift into aspects of the “micro-culture” like the German school system. It is mandatory for every child ages 6 through 15 and is funded by the government. It does share distinctions in the ways children are spaced out.

For example, secondary general school consists of grades 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and sometimes 10, while part time or full time vocational schools can be attended at the 11th and 12th grade levels with a vocational qualification period in the 13th grade.

On a completely different note, another important aspect of the German culture is its long standing beer tradition, which goes back to the 1010’s. German beers are recognized for their quality and come in many different types, including ale, lagers, and beers from different regions. Currently, there are more than 5,000 (!) brands of beer in circulation, with some of the larger breweries in the north along with the smaller, local operations found in the south.

If you want to catch beer at its finest moment, visit the annual festival known as Oktoberfest in Munich held every year for two weeks starting in late September. Breweries from around the country serve beer in huge tents in this all-out celebration of one of Germany’s finest trademarks.